# Ordering bigger trees: what you gain and what you risk

Published November 2, 2026 by Arboras.

A 12-foot screen or a 4-inch shade tree changes a job on day one. Bigger also means more water, more weight, and slower rooting. How to decide.

Clients judge a landscape the day it's installed. A 12-foot screen or a 4-inch shade tree changes that first impression, which is why bigger plants sell. They also cost more than the price on the quote, in water, weight, and time to settle in.

## What bigger buys you

- **Day-one effect.** Privacy, shade, and a finished look when the client walks out, not three summers later. Fewer calls asking when it will fill in.
- **Structure.** Big trees anchor a plan. Smaller shrubs and perennials can fill around them.
- **Toughness against everyday damage.** A thicker trunk shrugs off a string trimmer or a deer rub that would girdle a sapling.
- **Meeting the rules.** Some cities in the area set minimum sizes for required or replacement trees. Check the local code before choosing smaller.

## What bigger costs you

- **Slower rooting.** Digging a B&B tree leaves most of its roots in the field. A common rule of thumb for a climate like ours is about six months of establishment per inch of caliper, so a 4-inch tree needs about two growing seasons before it can fend for itself.
- **Water.** Until it roots out, the tree drinks only from its root ball, which dries out faster than the clay around it. Plan on watering at least weekly through the first summer, more in a heat wave.
- **Weight and access.** Root balls run from a few hundred pounds to well over half a ton for the biggest sizes. Check gate widths, slopes, and whether the truck can get close. Plan the equipment before the delivery date. See [caliper, explained](/blog/caliper-explained/) for how size and root ball relate.
- **Timing.** The best planting season in Middle Tennessee runs from fall through early spring. Big B&B trees can go in during summer, but they need more water and more attention.

## Smaller trees often catch up

Research on transplanting has found that smaller trees root in faster and can match the size of larger trees planted at the same time within a few years. Bigger is a choice for effect, not always for size in five years.

## How to decide

- **Go big** where the effect matters on day one: screens, the focal tree, the view from the patio or the pool.
- **Go smaller** for mass plantings, tough or wet spots, and trees that move poorly at size, such as black gum with its deep taproot.
- **Before ordering big,** confirm access, equipment, an irrigation plan, and a delivery date when the site is ready.

## How we handle big trees

We list B&B trees up to 16 feet and shade trees up to 4 inches in caliper, and we deliver them to the job site. If the site isn't ready, we can hold the trees until it is. [See the biggest sizes we list](/plants/).